Field of the Invention
An exercise device is provided to be used by a person while seated in position with his or her upper and lower leg portions generally horizontally and vertically disposed, respectively. The exerciser includes upwardly facing surface structure adapted to be engaged by the rear heel sole portions of the user when disposed in the aforementioned seated position and additional downwardly facing abutment surface structure spaced horizontally forward of the upwardly facing abutment surface structure and beneath which the upper forward portions of the user's feet may be engaged. The upwardly and downwardly facing support structures are mounted from a pivoted base end portion of a lever arm whose free end projects forwardly from the base end portion and the free end portion of the lever arm may have various weight value weight members removably supported therefrom. The user of the exerciser may then exercise the anterior muscles of his or her legs by elevating the forward portions of the feet in order to upwardly displace the downwardly facing abutment surface structure relative to the upwardly facing abutment surface structure and thus cause the free forward end of the lever arm to swing upwardly.
The anterior and lateral musculature of the leg are long thin muscles with the major portions of the muscle bellies being in the proximal half of the leg. The tendons from the two groups pass down to either side of the foot forming an arch to support the tarso-metatarsal articulation as well as to invert, evert and dorsiflex the foot at the ankle.
The anterior muscle of the leg consists of four muscles--the tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus, peroneus tertuis and extensor hallucis longus.
All the muscles of this group flex the foot, that is, they lift the foot at the ankle and bring the toes closer to the front of the leg. The extensors extend the toes, the peroneus tertius and the extensor digitorum longus evert the foot. The nerve supply to this group of muscles is from the deep peroneal (anterior tibial) nerve.
The lateral muscles consist of the peroneus longus and the peroneus brevis. They extend (plantaiflex) and evert the foot. The peroneus longus and the tibialis anterior form a sterrup for the support of the transverse and longitudinal arches of the foot.
The purpose and overall function of the two groups is to lift the front of the foot so that in walking or running the toes do not drag as the foot is brought forward. Paralysis of these results in a foot drop and the person has to walk with a "slapping gait".
The anterior group of muscles are in a relative fixed or closed space and sudden working in this area produces what is called the anterior compartment syndrome with nerve pain.
To avoid such problems, exercise of these groups should be performed at a pace to allow expansion of the fibrous membrane about the group.